


The Lingering Ghost

by clarkjoekent



Series: Sakumo Week 2020 [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Canon Compliant, Character Death, Character Study, Introspection, Sakumo Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:01:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26279083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarkjoekent/pseuds/clarkjoekent
Summary: Sakumo thought his death was it. Darkness would swallow him whole, allowing him to just cease to exist. Someone had other plans. A punishment to watch his son suffer while he could only watch or a blessing to watch him grow.Sakumo Week Day FourPrompt - Father/Son
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Hatake Sakumo
Series: Sakumo Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904620
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50
Collections: Sakumo Week 2020





	The Lingering Ghost

**Author's Note:**

> Hitting every feeling known to mankind with this one. Sakumo and angst.

Sakumo always thought that burying a child was the worst thing he might have to go through. Both of them being shinobi meant there was a possibility. Never had he thought that his poor young son would have to look over his dead body and have to make important decisions no one at that age should ever have to.

He watched Kakashi bend over his cold body and sob.

He thought it would be for the best, to just vanish from Kakashi's life. So he could grow up in his own light instead of the shadow his father once was.

He saw the way Kakashi frantically tried to heal him, his small body shaking from the gut wrenching reality that Sakumo was long dead.

He watched as Minato ran in the room and stopped short in the door frame, his wild blonde hair the only light in the room. Minato looked sick, he snatched Kakashi's small body away from Sakumo and tried to carry him to another room, Kakashi kicking and screaming the whole time.

ANBU wandered in to seal Sakumo away in a body scroll, Kakashi had gone silent. Too quiet. Sakumo stood over his son, wanting to comfort him, to hold him, to tell him it was for the best.

Instead he was only able to watch his small pup, his baby boy, jerk away from Minato and grab a bucket and a scrub brush to clean up the abhorrent mess Sakumo had the nerve to leave behind.

Minato tried his best, even calling in Kushina. She was able to apply chakra to a pressure point and knock Kakashi out. A trick she had no doubt learned from Hizashi.

He followed the pair as they left the house - the house he left behind for his son to take care of - while they held Kakashi's exhausted body, whispering things, too low for Sakumo to hear. They changed his clothes, there was blood all over him, Sakumo’s blood. They cleaned Kakashi up and laid him down in the middle of their bed, Minato and Kushina sandwiched him in, trying to make him feel better. To offer comfort. 

He saw the way Kakashi compulsively cleaned the house every day, the child muttering about the smell. Pakkun would comment about him not smelling a thing, Kakashi would wave the small confused pug off.

Kakashi shut the side room off, Sakumo’s final resting place, and sealed it shut. Never entering the room again.

The worst thing Sakumo had to do was watch his son grow up without him. Day by agonizing day he saw Kakashi wake up in the morning in cold sweat from a nightmare. 

He saw him avoid his friends and fold in on himself.

All he wanted to do was shake him and show him that there are people who care, that he's loved.

Really he wanted to apologize for his choice to end his own life, but he thought it was for the good of Kakashi and the village.

He was pulled to wherever his son was.

In the woods, fighting shinobi three times his size.

In the cave, wrecked over losing his friend.

In the battlefield, his arm through the chest of his teammate.

In the ANBU training room and on missions.

Over the bodies of Minato and Kushina.

Everywhere Kakashi went Sakumo and Grief followed. Every year that passed Sakumo begged whoever would listen to give Kakashi an easy year.

There were a few good moments. Gai got Kakashi out of his shell a little. He was released from ANBU thanks to his friends. Friends. His son had friends. Finally.

Things got scary when Kakashi continued to fail his teams but deep down Sakumo knew, as soon as he saw Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, that they would be his new team. They would pass and breathe new life into his son.

Sakumo was happy seeing Kakashi mess with his team, watching them grow together, changing the way Kakashi held himself.

It was subtle, but Kakashi was his son. He knew everything. He slouched less, laughed more, held his students in high regard.

Then they were separated. Ripped away. Sasuke left to seek revenge, Naruto left with Jiraiya, and Sakura went to train with Tsunade. Kakashi was back to square one. He pulled away and began to sacrifice himself again.

Sakumo could do nothing but scream.

Gai was being ignored again. That didn’t deter the man. He broke into his rival’s apartment and picked up the things Kakashi left lying around. Asuma had to break down Kakashi's apartment door and drag him out once. Kurenai made him food and left it for Pakkun to bring to his son.

Sakumo found Kakashi curled up on the floor, the dead Hatake’s no longer beating heart jumped at the thought of Kakashi doing what he did so many years ago.

He was just drunk, sleeping on the floor, holding a picture of his old teams.

Like a breeze, Naruto came back, bringing the sunshine Kakashi desperately needed. Sakura knocked some sense around and he was back to his old self. Gai was closer. Holding tight, never letting go.

Kakashi accepted it and opened up.

Missions go on like normal. Sakumo watches the seemingly impossible become possible.

Asuma's death hit Kakashi hard. Kakashi never let anyone see it. Some nights he lit a cigarette and let the burning stick fade out while he talked about Kurenai and the baby. Or InoShikaCho. He saw the tears fall and the ache in his son's chest and yet he could only watch.

At least he thought. 

The Pein fight led Kakashi right to him, by the burning fire of limbo. Embers showing the true exhaustion in his son's face.

He got to tell him everything. Kakashi returned the favor and even said the words Sakumo wanted to hear.

"I forgive you. I'm proud of you."

Sakumo felt his eyes water. He hurt himself and he hurt his son with his actions and Kakashi, despite it all, forgave him and understood.

As fast as he appeared, Kakashi was gone again. Sakumo thought he would be able to move on. He wanted to. He could see his old friend Jiraiya, his wife, his own father, all waiting.

However, he wanted to see Kakashi grow and be at peace.

He sat back on the wood seat in front of the fire and decided he was still needed. 

Somehow.

The Fourth Shinobi War almost obliterated Kakashi. So many needless deaths. Kakashi had that look in his eye. The look of loss and regret. Grief would follow shortly. Those grey eyes were full of pain. Even with Minato’s reanimated body on the field. They were losing. 

Neji. Shikaku. Inoichi. Gai.

He had to keep fighting. He did. With all of his strength and power Kakashi fought for the future. For Konoha. For all the shinobi on the field. He would win or die trying. 

Sakumo was there when the battle was over.

He saw the relief when all of his students were reunited. He saw the way Kakashi knelt over Gai's body and sobbed when he found out Gai was alive.

Sakumo got to see Kakashi become Hokage, to clean the village up, to make it better.

Never would he have thought he would see Kakashi's true smile again. After the dog teeth incident and the mask being a permanent feature. He looked like his mother when he smiled. 

He saw that smile. The one that told him that his son will be okay. He let it loose when Gai opened his eyes for the first time since the war.

He saw it when Naruto made Jonin.

And again when he was finally able to retire in peace. To live in the newly renovated Hatake home. A place where each one of his kids - all of the Konoha 13 - was able to walk in and eat until they were full, a place to sleep, a place they knew they were loved.

"Hey Dad, I hope you are doing well. I told Obito I'll take my time before I meet him on the other side and I intend to keep it. I don't know how to explain it but I feel you. I feel your love and I know you had your hand in my life somehow." Kakashi had made an official grave stone for his father and all of the other ostracized shinobi. Sakumo was resting next to Maito Dai, his long time friend. "I'm glad I could tell you how I feel. It'll be a long time until I can see you again. I miss you and Mom, my old team, Sensei, Kushina, everyone. Tell Mom I love her okay? Tell them all that I love them and miss them. Let them know I'm doing fine. More than fine. I'm happy. I love you." Kakashi stuck around for a few minutes before going home to his sleeping team.

"I'll be waiting pup. I promise." Sakumo spoke, the wind blew and Kakashi paused. He saw his son turn back to the gravestone and smile, tears in his eyes. They weren't sad tears. Maybe he heard. Sakumo hoped he did. His last words of comfort. 

Kakashi turned away, a soft smile ghosting his unmasked lips and continued his walk.

Aside from waiting for Kakashi he had another promise to keep. He had people to see. To pass along a message.

He was more than happy to finally move on, positive Kakashi was in a good place in life. 

Surrounded by friends and family.

Sakumo was at peace alongside his son.


End file.
